Chadi Riad’s Season Ends with ACL Tear

Crystal Palace have lost Chadi Riad for the entire season after scans confirmed the Morocco international has suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

The 21-year-old went down awkwardly in the second half of Palace’s match against Everton, leaving the field on a stretcher in the 70th minute. According to the Daily Mail, medical tests carried out this week confirmed the worst: a full cruciate ligament rupture.

For Riad, it is a brutal setback and a painful repeat. It is the second serious knee injury of his career, just as he appeared to be building real momentum in south London.

The defender joined Palace from Barcelona for £12 million and endured an early spell on the sidelines in his first campaign at Selhurst Park. That year never quite caught fire. Last season did.

Over the closing months of the campaign, Riad forced his way into the side and stayed there. He earned regular minutes, grew in authority, and capped his rise by starting the UEFA Conference League final. On that night, he helped Palace beat Rayo Vallecano and lift a European trophy, a landmark moment for both player and club.

This season was supposed to be the next step. Riad came into pre-season with clear intentions: cement his place, become a pillar of the defence, push on with Morocco. Instead, one twist of the knee has torn those plans apart.

For Palace’s coaching staff, the news deepens an already complex defensive puzzle. The club had moved early in the transfer window to reinforce at the back, bringing in Axel Disasi on loan from Chelsea and closing in on Joel Ordóñez from Club Brugge.

Those signings now move from luxury to necessity. And as Palace reshuffle their backline for the long haul, Riad faces another long, lonely road back from a knee injury just when his career seemed ready to surge.